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DBliss Media at November 17, 2018 0
Italy aims to delay release of Italian films on Netflix to protect its cinema industry (AFP/File / Lionel BONAVENTURE)

Italy is to introduce an obligatory delay between Italian films screening in cinemas and being shown on streaming services like Netflix, in a bid to protect its domestic film industry.

The law comes after the thorny issue reared its head at this year's Venice Film Festival, where several films came from US streaming giants Netflix or Amazon, including the festival's Golden Lion winner "Roma".

Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron's movie was the first by Netflix to win a major festival prize. Thanks to its festival success, it will start being released in theatres around the world on November 21 and then on Netflix on December 14.

In contrast, France's Cannes Film Festival opted only to accept films with a guaranteed cinema release, in a bid to protect theatres.

French law says there must be a 36-month interval between when a film is shown in theatres and when it can be shown by a streaming or Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) service.

The result is that streaming producers have to wait 36-months before being able to show their films on their own platform, if they also show them in cinemas.


As a result, the Venice festival drew several famous directors with made-for-streaming products, including the Coen brothers, Paul Greengrass and Cuaron, who could not compete at Cannes, drawing ire from many in Italy's film industry.

They slammed what they saw as an attack on film theatres, saying that any festival winner should be available to a broader public than just Netflix subscribers.

Italy's film industry appealed to Culture Minister Alberto Bonisoli to rule on the matter and introduce a law stipulating a "statutory window" between cinema and streaming release.

France's 36-month stipulation is the strictest in the world, with most other countries deciding for themselves, or allowing studios, producers and broadcasters to negotiate on a case-by-case basis.
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DBliss Media at October 07, 2018 0
Kanye West appeared to have deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts on Saturday night. (AP)

Kanye West is once again off of social media.

The rapper appeared to have deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts Saturday night after reactivating his profiles earlier this year. West went off social media in May 2017 before reactivating his Instagram account in February, then deleting it again until reappearing on the platform in September.

He began tweeting again in April and had been an active user until Saturday night. It’s unclear why he deleted his accounts.

The incident comes after West received criticism for a string of controversial comments.

The 41-year-old rapper, who announced on Twitter last week he’s changing his name to Ye, delivered an impromptu speech supporting President Trump at the end of his “Saturday Night Live” performance last week. In the speech, which did not make it on the show, West again pledged to run for president in 2020 and called for a “dialogue, not a diatribe” in order to have events change in the future.

“There’s so many times I talk to a white person and [they] say, ‘How could you like Trump, he’s racist?’ Well, if I was concerned about racism I would’ve moved out of America a long time ago,” West said while wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.

Videos of the speech were posted social media by attendees such as Chris Rock. Some audience members were heard booing and yelling at West, while others remained silent or clapped.

West then received backlash when tweeted the 13th Amendment, which "abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except as a punishment for crime,” should be repealed.

“This represents good and America becoming whole again. We will no longer outsource to other countries. We build factories here in America and create jobs. We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment. Message sent with love,” West tweeted, along with the photo.

Celebrities, including Chris Evans, slammed the rapper for the tweet. He later clarified that he “misspoke” and meant to say “amend.”

West then appeared on “TMZ Live” and said he reached out to Colin Kaepernick in an attempt to bring him to Washington, D.C. to meet Trump. He added that he’s heading to Africa to record music.

"So this is the type of energy that we're putting into the album, so we're going to Africa in two weeks to record," West said. "I felt this energy when I was in Chicago, I felt the roots. But we have to go to what is known as Africa. I need to go, I need to find out what it’s really called. Just grab the soil and be and cook food, five meals a day so the metabolism stays up, have my kids in the studio, have the mic out in the open so you can hear nature while we’re recording.”

source: Fox news

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DBliss Media at October 07, 2018 0


The confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court drew sharp reactions from Hollywood celebrities.

The Senate on Saturday, in a 50-48 vote mostly along party lines, voted to confirm Kavanaugh to the nation’s highest court and he was sworn in as a justice hours later.

Kavanaugh’s nomination process has been plagued in recent weeks by sexual misconduct allegations made by three women. The first of them was Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of assaulting her at a party in high school and later testified on Capitol Hill about her claims. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations against him.


Actor James Wood, however, showed his support for the new Supreme Court justice, tweeting “Justice. Kavanaugh. #winning”



Actress Kristy Swanson, in support of the vote’s outcome, tweeted: “Don't forget to crack open a beer and toast Supreme Court Judge Kavanaugh today! Because those of us that still believe in due process, WON.”

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DBliss Media at October 03, 2018 0
Cardi B

US rapper Cardi B surrendered to police in New York on Monday, charged with assault and reckless endangerment over an ugly brawl in a strip club that injured a female employee.

The 25-year-old star was in the Angels Strip Club in Queens on August 29 when someone in her group lobbed furniture inside the night club, causing an employee to suffer “some bruising to her legs,” police said.


The fast-rising rapper turned herself in at a Queens police station and was instructed to appear in criminal court on October 29, charged with one count of assault and two counts of reckless endangerment, police said.

Celebrity gossip website TMZ said she allegedly ordered an attack on two bartenders at the club, sisters who accuse her of harboring a grudge because one of them slept with her husband, the rapper Offset.

Cardi, who was at the club because Offset was performing in the hard-living hip hop trio Migos, allegedly told her group to attack the bartenders with bottles, chairs and a hookah smoking device, TMZ said.

On Monday, she was filmed exiting the police station in Queens, dressed in a beige skirt suit and white blouse, escorted by burly bodyguards into a waiting SUV, making no comment to a bevvy of cameras.

The singer, real name Belcalis Almanzar, is one of the most prominent women in hip-hop and shares a child with Offset.

Earlier this year, she confirmed reports that the pair had secretly married.


Monday’s police booking comes just weeks after she was involved in a fracas with fellow rapper Nicki Minaj at New York Fashion Week in which Cardi B accused her rival of throwing a shoe at her.

Cardi B was photographed with a bump on her forehead. Minaj, one of the best-selling musical artists now performing and who was reportedly not hurt, declined to press charges.

The “I Like It” songstress later took to Instagram to imply that the older Minaj had questioned her parenting skills. She gave birth to a daughter, Kulture, in July.

Cardi B has become one of the biggest new stars in US music since the runaway success last year of her song “Bodak Yellow,” which touches on her former life making ends meet as a stripper.

A Bronx native, she is the first female rapper to have had multiple No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

She performed in New York on Saturday at the Global Citizen festival, an unofficial closing event following the weeklong United Nations General Assembly, in what was her first concert since giving birth.

She urged young people to pay attention ahead of the November 6 midterm elections, in which President Donald Trump’s Republican Party risks losing control of Congress.

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DBliss Media at August 22, 2018 0


Don Moen - internationally renown, multi-award winning worship artist and writer - is set to release his first book God Will Make a Way: Discovering His Hope in Your Story on October 16, 2018. 

The book will be published by Emanate Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. The book is available for pre-order now at www.DonMoenBook.com.

Written with prominent biographer Robert Noland and featuring a foreword from World Champion Boxer Manny Pacquiao, God Will Make a Way shares the story behind the award-winning hallmark song of Moen's career, and encourages readers to rest in the fact that God is always working, though often in ways we cannot see. Moen knows first-hand and wants others to know that no matter how dire the circumstances, God does not forget his children.

"As I've traveled around the world, I've seen God work in countless ways, bringing hope to people who have lost hope. I have seen Him make a way where there seemed to be no way, and I'm excited to share many of these stories in my new book," said Moen.

"We are absolutely honored to partner with Don on his first, groundbreaking book God Will Make a Way," said Joel Kneedler, publisher of Emanate Books. "His fans will immediately recognize Don's heart in the pages of this book. He is the ultimate encourager and storyteller."

Through personal stories and encouraging Scripture, Don provides comfort to those struggling with doubt. He reminds readers that the same God who parted the Red Sea, saving Moses and the children of Israel, is the same God we know and serve today. 



Source: Conduit Media Solutions
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DBliss Media at August 22, 2018 0
Elvis Presley's 'Where No One Stands Alone' First No. 1 on Billboard Christian Album Chart



Elvis Presley has entered the Billboard Top Christian album chart at No. 1--a first for the legendary artist--with Where No One Stands Alone, a groundbreaking new album on RCA/Legacy celebrating the singer's everlasting love of gospel music.

The new collection is also No. 1 on the Billboard Physical Albums chart and the Billboard Vinyl Albums chart. The album debuted in the Top 10 in the UK, marking his 53rd UK Top 10 album. 

While three contemporary gospel albums recorded by Elvis--His Hand In Mine (1960, RIAA Platinum), How Great Thou Art (1967, RIAA 3x Platinum) and He Touched Me (1972, RIAA Platinum)--were released during the artist's lifetime, Where No One Stands Alone is the first Elvis album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Christian album chart. Elvis Presley's religious recordings--singles, EPs, albums, compilations--have sold approximately 300 million copies in the US alone with "(There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)" and "Crying In The Chapel" each selling more than 20 million copies. Ten Elvis albums have hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 while seven Elvis album titles have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country chart.

Produced by Joel Weinshanker, Lisa Marie Presley and Andy Childs, Elvis Presley -- Where No One Stands Alone introduces newly-recorded instrumentation and backing vocal contributions from music legends who'd performed on-stage and/or in-the-studio with Elvis. It also includes a reimagined duet with Elvis and his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, on the album's title track and spiritual touchstone.

Background vocalists on the album include: Darlene Love (who first sang with Elvis on his 1968 NBC television special); Dr. Cissy Houston (who, with The Sweet Inspirations, sang with Elvis on-stage beginning in 1969); Terry Blackwood, Armond Morales and Jim Murray (members of The Imperials, who sang on Elvis' How Great Thou Art -- with the title song winning the 1967 Grammy® for Best Sacred Performance); and Donnie Sumner, Bill Baize, Ed Hill and Larry Strickland (members of Presley's longtime backup group, The Stamps).

Elvis Presley -- Where No One Stands Alone provides new musical perspectives on 14 of the singer's favorite pieces of gospel music, from the reverential to the celebratory, with song selections including Presley's beloved enduring gospel classics (the 1965 Top 5 smash "Crying In The Chapel," "How Great Thou Art," "You'll Never Walk Alone"), praise-filled gospel-rockers (Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller's "Saved") and traditional hymns and spirituals ("So High," "Stand By Me," "In The Garden," "Amazing Grace").

Elvis Presley -- Where No One Stands Alone is available now by visiting https://Elvis.lnk.to/WNOSA!PR2.



Source: Merge PR 
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DBliss Media at July 20, 2018 0
Olivia Munn, left, calls out Meghan Markle's sister, Samantha, over her recent comments.  (Reuters/AP

Olivia Munn has some thoughts about Meghan Markle’s recent family drama.

ET’s Kevin Frazier sat down with the 38-year-old actress and her "Predator" co-stars, Sterling K. Brownand Keegan-Michael Key, at 2018 Comic-Con in San Diego on Thursday, where she revealed that the film’s writer-director, Shane Black, actually has ties to Meghan.
“Shane Black used to date Samantha Markle, the really crazy sister,” Munn claimed of the former "Suits" star’s half-sister. “That is amazing. Shane Black and Samantha Markle. I think we should reunite them.”


“I think she’s single, I think he’s single. He could be Prince Harry’s brother-in-law. Who doesn’t want to make that happen?” she asked. “And maybe Samantha would calm down. She’s real angry. She says a lot of crazy stuff in the press.”


Samantha and her father, Thomas Markle, have both made headlines with claims against Meghan since she got engaged to Prince Harry last year. Thomas has continued to speak out to the press about his daughter -- recently claiming she looks "terrified" in her new role as the Duchess of Sussex -- while Samantha slammed her sister on Twitter for ignoring their father. "Enough is enough. Act like a humanitarian, act like a woman," she reportedly tweeted. "If our father dies, it's on you Meg!"

As for whether Munn is hoping to marry into the royal family as well, she insisted she has no plans to follow Meghan into duchess life.

“I don’t want to give up my career. I want my friends to marry princes,” Munn, who just returned from London, continued. “When you’re a royal, you have to give things up.”


Munn's career definitely couldn't be hotter at the moment, as she stars as Casey Bracket in "The Predator," a scientist who teams up with a group of military men to stop the genetically enhanced super species from destroying mankind. 

"My character was brought in by the CIA to explain what’s going on with this Predator,” she shared, as Brown explained how the upcoming film fits in with the 1987 "Predator" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.


"We honor that the Predator has been here several times in the past," he said. "We’re trying to collect as much information as we can to arm ourselves, to learn about the Predator and be ready to fight it the next time coming forward." 

"It's simply another chapter in the story of the universe of the Predator," Key added of the film. "It's another piece."

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DBliss Media at June 21, 2018 0
FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2018 file photo, Peter Fonda presents the Desert Palm achievement award at the 29th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival in Palm Springs, Calif. Fonda has apologized for a late-night Twitter rant that said 12-year-old Barron Trump should be ripped from “his mother’s arms and put in a cage with pedophiles.” The all-capitals tweet early Wednesday went on to call President Donald Trump an expletive. Fonda later deleted the tweet and drew sharp rebukes from first lady Melania Trump and Donald Trump Jr. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)


Peter Fonda apologized Wednesday for a late-night Twitter rant in which he suggested 12-year-old Barron Trump should be ripped from “his mother’s arms and put in a cage with pedophiles.”

The all-capitals tweet in the wee hours went on to call President Donald Trump an expletive. The actor later deleted the tweet and drew sharp rebukes from first lady Melania Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

The two-time Oscar nominee, brother of Jane Fonda and son of Hollywood legend Henry Fonda said in a statement hours later that he was upset over children separated from their parents on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“I tweeted something highly inappropriate and vulgar about the president and his family in response to the devastating images I was seeing on television,” Fonda said in the statement, released by both his manager and his publicist. “Like many Americans, I am very impassioned and distraught over the situation with children separated from their families at the border, but I went way too far. It was wrong and I should not have done it. I immediately regretted it and sincerely apologize to the family for what I said and any hurt my words have caused.”

In another tweet, Fonda suggested people opposed to the border policy should track down the addresses of federal agents and “surround their homes in protest,” adding: “We should find out what schools their children go to and surround the schools in protest.”

Stephanie Grisham, the first lady’s spokeswoman, said via email regarding the Barron remarks: “The tweet is sick and irresponsible.” She said the U.S. Secret Service was notified. A spokesman for the agency said via email the Secret Service is aware of Fonda’s tweets but “as a matter of practice” would have no additional comment.

Donald Trump Jr., meanwhile, did some tweeting of his own, addressing Fonda: “You’re clearly a sick individual” who behaved “like a bully and a coward.”

___

Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.


By Associated Press
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DBliss Media at June 07, 2018 0


Journey with Christafari to the bottom of the Grand Canyon as they minister to the Havasupai Indians, the most remote tribe in the contiguous United States.

  “Your Beauty Chases Me” is an original reggae worship song performed by the group before gorgeous canyon walls and majestic waterfalls.


Christafari is more than just a band; they are musicianaries (musical missionaries) who use their unique brand of Gospel reggae to reach remote tribes across the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

Their latest album, Original Love, is now available at iTunes and streaming now on Spotify.
By NRT Staff Reports (KM)
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DBliss Media at June 07, 2018 0



Multi-award winning artist Chris August is proud to announce the release of his new album, Seasons, as his first independent release since 2008. 

Seasons follows his three previous album releases with Fervent/Word, 2010's No Far Away, The Upside of Down (2012), and 2015's The Maker. With a deep desire to get back to making music that was creative and authentic to who he is as an artist, August's new songs are full of inspiration without constraints. Click here to download the album, and here for streaming. 

"I love the journey and the seasons we go through in life. I felt like this release needed to be called Seasons because of where I am in my career, newly stepping out as an indepedent artist and excited to get this music out into the world," shares the three-time GMA Dove Award winner (Male Vocalist, New Artist, Pop Album of the Year). 

August continues, "I'm in a different season now since my last release. I've gotten married, I've grown in my faith, and now I'm releasing music on my own for the first time in 10 years. I've worked hard to pour myself into all elements of it from the writing to producing...and it's finally time to share with everyone. It's my hope that these songs will encourage, inspire, and challenge people in the season of life they're walking through now." 

Accolades are already coming in about Seasons. NewReleaseToday.com, who has also named August Artist of the Month for June, states "Seasons delivers an incredibly fresh and vibrant set of tracks that are full of celebratory, real-life truth of God's always present consistency, all from a familiar voice that has been deeply missed in Christian music. It's good to have Chris August back!" 

For more information, please visit his website ChrisAugustMusic.com and his social links. 

Seasons track listing: 
Nothing's Beyond Broken
Seasons
Lips
Worry
Delivery
Moonlight
You and Me
Everything


By Merge PR 
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DBliss Media at May 31, 2018 0

Disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday on charges of rape in the first and third degrees and criminal sexual act in the first degree, according to a statement from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.

The former movie mogul, who decided not to testify, could face more than 37 years behind bars if he's found guilty.

Weinstein turned himself in last Friday and agreed to surrender his passport and be fitted with a GPS monitoring device. He posted $1 million bail in cash, his lawyer Benjamin Brafman said.

“This indictment brings the defendant another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged," Vance said in a statement. "Our office will try this case not in the press, but in the courtroom where it belongs."

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the criminal sex act charges stem from a 2004 encounter between Weinstein and aspiring actress Lucia Evans. She has said he forced her to perform oral sex.

The other female accuser, who hasn't been identified publicly, told investigators Weinstein raped her in a hotel room.

"The defendant’s recent assault on the integrity of the survivors and the legal process is predictable," the statement continued. "We are confident that when the jury hears the evidence, it will reject these attacks out of hand."

He has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex, and his lawyer said Tuesday that Weinstein was "confident he's going to clear his name" in the New York prosecution.

Brafman called the rape allegation "absurd," saying that the accuser and Weinstein had a decade-long, consensual sexual relationship that began before and continued after the alleged 2013 attack.
Actress Rose McGowan, who accused Weinstein of rape, praised the "strength and resolve" of the two women on twitter.
 Weinstein has been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault.
The allegations were brought to light following two explosive reports in October that sparked the 66-year-old's downfall.
Since late 2017, he’s been spending time in a treatment facility in Arizona.
Fox News' Leora Arnowitz, Sasha Savitsky and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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DBliss Media at May 31, 2018 0

Kim Kardashian West arrived at the White House Wednesday afternoon, where she is reportedly expected to discuss prison reform and the possible pardon for a great-grandmother who is serving a drug-related life prison sentence.  
The reality TV star is reportedly slated to meet with Jared Kushner, White House senior adviser and son-in-law to the president, in her efforts to gain clemency for Alice Marie Johnson, 63. Kardashian West also hoped for a sit down with President Trump, a member of Johnson’s legal team told The Associated Press.T
rump later tweeted a photo of the pair in the Oval Office, however he did not say whether they discussed Johnson specifically. 

"Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing," Trump said.
Johnson is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after being convicted of a first-time nonviolent drug offense, according to Mic. Kardashian West was first drawn to the woman’s story after seeing a video profile on Johnson produced by the outlet in 2017.

“If you think about a decision that you’ve made in your life and you get life without the possibility of parole for your first-time nonviolent offense, there’s just something so wrong with that,” Kardashian West told the outlet.
She reportedly has been in contact with Kushner and the Trump administration over the case.

“I think that she really deserves a second chance at life,” Kardashian West told Mic. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get her out.”
Johnson was arrested in 1993 and convicted four years later of drug conspiracy and money laundering, Mic previously reported. Her involvement with cocaine dealers came about after she lost her job, her son was killed, she got divorced and her home was foreclosed on, the outlet reported.

 She reportedly wasn’t involved in selling drugs or in drug deals, but she did admit to acting as an intermediary for those involved, passing along messages.
The reality star hinted at her trip to the nation’s capital earlier on Wednesday.
“Happy Birthday Alice Marie Johnson,” Kardashian West tweeted. “Today is for you.”
Fox News’ Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Benjamin Brown and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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DBliss Media at May 26, 2018 0
GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP / STEPHANIE KEITH


In handcuffing powerful movie producer Harvey Weinstein Friday, US authorities justice appeared to confirm that no one escapes the long arm of the law in the United States.

But the record shows that celebrity and wealth promises a better outcome for the accused, especially in sex cases.

That legal ambivalence was on view Friday with the arrest of Weinstein in New York on rape and sex crime charges. After turning himself in, the multi-millionaire behind a slew of award-winning Hollywood films was quickly freed after posting a steep cash bail of $1 million.

Wealth allows him to hire one of the country's toughest criminal defense lawyers, Benjamin Brafman.

The powerhouse attorney notably defended pop icon Michael Jackson and former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn against sex charges, as well as the rapper and producer Sean "P. Diddy" Combs against weapons violations and bribery charges. None of the three were convicted.

- 'Privileged' -

While justice may be catching up with Weinstein, it is also testament to his wealth, fame and power that it has taken this long -- the complaints detail more than two decades of alleged sexual misconduct against women.

"I didn't believe this day would come," said actress Rose McGowan, who accused Weinstein of having raped her in 1997.

She said the producer was "privileged" to be arrested Friday, at the beginning of the long Memorial Day holiday weekend when Americans are likely to take less notice of the news.

For the wealthy, it is easier to avoid a public trial. The US legal system leaves a lot of room for negotiation between the accused and their accusers.

Nine out of ten criminal cases are resolved in a plea deal between prosecutors and the accused, rather than by a jury decision.

Brafman said Weinstein intends to plead "not guilty," but also said he will continue pressing the New York prosecutor "to dissuade them from proceeding" with the investigation -- a possibility rarely available to poorer defendants.

The odds, and history, favor Weinstein. The greatest example is the 1995 case of OJ Simpson, the celebrated football player who hired a top-notch legal team to fight murder charges and won. Read More From AFP...
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DBliss Media at May 22, 2018 0
Sony signed a deal with Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala to buy its 60 percent holding in EMI, giving the Japanese firm an indirect stake of approximately 90 percent (AFP/File / CARL DE SOUZA)


Japanese entertainment giant Sony on Tuesday announced a deal to acquire the music publishing firm and record label EMI for a price of around $1.9 billion.

Sony signed a deal with Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala to buy its 60 percent holding in EMI, giving the Japanese firm an indirect stake of approximately 90 percent, Sony said in a statement.

"We are thrilled to bring EMI Music Publishing into the Sony family and maintain our number-one position in the music publishing industry," Sony boss Kenichiro Yoshida said in a statement.

He said the music business had "enjoyed a resurgence in the past couple of years" driven by subscription-based streaming services.

EMI is the second-largest music publishing company by revenue and either owns or holds the rights to 2.1 million pieces of music.

It either owns or administers some two million songs, including classics by the likes of Queen, Sam Smith, Pharrell Williams and Drake.

As for Sony, it already owns 2.3 million copyrights, including the Beatles catalogue.

The deal values EMI at $4.75 billion, the Sony statement said, adding that "the closing of the transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approvals."

Sony will later Tuesday unveil its latest strategic plan under new CEO Yoshida, expecting to focus more on content than hardware.

The electronics and entertainment behemoth last month reported record annual profits worth $4.5 billion, a roaring recovery supported by better sales across the board and helped by box office blockbusters like its Jumanji reboot.

Those figures were seen as a fitting send-off for Kazuo Hirai, who recently stepped down as the firm's chief executive after spending the past six years pulling the firm out of deep financial troubles.

Hirai led an aggressive restructuring drive at Sony, terminating thousands of jobs while selling business units and assets.

Investors appeared dubious about the acquisition however, with Sony stock down around 0.6 percent in the first few minutes of trade, underperforming the wider Japanese market which was flat.


By AFP
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DBliss Media at May 17, 2018 0
Meghan Markle says her father will not attend her wedding to Prince Harry on Saturday.

In a statement, she said she had "always cared" for her father and hoped he could be given the space he needed to focus on his health.

In recent days, doubts had been raised over whether Thomas Markle would be at the wedding to walk his daughter down the aisle.


Mr Markle had been due to meet the prince for the first time this week, as well as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The couple can expect a sunny and breezy day, with temperatures reaching up to a balmy 21C in the late afternoon.
Mr Markle, who is understood to be in Mexico, was caught up in controversy after allegedly staging photographs with the paparazzi.

He later told US celebrity news website TMZ he would not attend the wedding amid the controversy; then that he would; and then that he could not, due to a planned heart procedure.

Ms Markle's estranged half-sister, Samantha, said he had faced "unbelievable stress"
Meghan's father, Thomas, lives in Mexico

The paparazzi pictures showed Mr Markle - apparently unaware he was being photographed - carrying out preparations for the wedding, including being measured for a suit.

On Monday, Mr Markle reportedly told TMZ that he would not attend the ceremony to avoid embarrassing his daughter.

TMZ later reported that Mr Markle wanted to be there - although it might not be possible because of health concerns.

And in a third report, the website said that health issues and planned surgery would prevent him from attending after all.

His absence leaves a big question mark over who will walk Ms Markle down the aisle.

Her mother, Doria Ragland, who arrived in the UK on Wednesday, would be one option, as would Prince Charles, Harry's father, or she could choose to walk alone.

Ms Markle has 10 bridesmaids and pageboys, all under the age of eight.

She decided against having a maid of honour because she wanted to avoid choosing between her closest friends.


The news came two days before the couple's big day, as a rehearsal of the carriage procession through Windsor took place.

Hundreds of people lined the streets in the sunshine to get an idea of what's to come when the newlyweds take a 25-minute carriage ride through the town.

The world's media, royal superfans and locals watched the military parade through the streets. About 250 members of the armed forces are expected to take part on Saturday.

At the dry run, there was a heavy police presence, including armed officers and officers stationed on roofs to oversee the crowds.

Mr Markle formerly worked as a lighting director on programmes including the 1980s TV show Married with Children and General Hospital, for which he and his team won two Emmy awards.

He and Doria Ragland divorced when Ms Markle was six years old.

Mr Markle, who has two children from his first marriage - Samantha and Thomas - filed for bankruptcy two years ago.

Ms Markle has previously said: "It's safe to say I have always been a daddy's girl - he taught me how to fish, to appreciate Busby Berkeley films, write thank you notes, and spend my weekends in Little Tokyo eating chicken teriyaki with vegetable tempura."
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